![\"\"](\"http:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/DSC_07141.jpg\" "\\"DSC_0714\\"")
<\/a>Senior Neva Aliaga Parrado is about to leave the U.S. and head home to Bolivia. She states that she will miss her friends when she leaves. Photo by: Patricia Ortiz<\/p><\/div>\n
By Patricia Ortiz<\/em><\/p>\n With the school year coming to a close everyone is waiting to go on vacation to some place far away. \u00a0Neva Aliaga Parrado, the foreign exchange student from Bolivia, is packing her bags to return back to Bolivia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It has almost been one school year with Neva in Plymouth. \u00a0For this year, Aliaga has not seen her family or visited them. \u00a0According to Aliaga, it is \u201ca rule to not communicate with your family for the first two months, but I broke the rule. \u00a0I come from a place where we take care of each other a bunch and, well, we communicate [with each other] once a week. \u00a0They call me or usually I call them because it costs a lot to call from my country.\u201d<\/p>\n Her experience in America has been full of fun memories and new experiences. \u00a0Here Aliaga has tried new foods that she ended up liking. \u00a0Taco Pizza and blueberries were foods that Neva tried and liked. \u00a0Along with trying delectable new foods, Aliaga has gone to visit places in the U.S. which she has liked. \u00a0The places she has visited are \u201cChicago which I loved!! \u00a0I loved it mainly because we went shopping! \u00a0The places I visited are incredibly interesting. \u00a0I also visited Washington D.C. which I liked going to the different places like Cherry Blossom, Lincoln Memorial, and many museums like the American History Museum. \u00a0All these places were very nice. \u00a0I also went to Philadelphia where I visited the famous stairs where the movie Rocky Balboa was filmed. \u00a0Then we went to Virginia, a very nice place. \u00a0I really liked that place. \u00a0That was a very fun place where I met many people that treated me well. \u00a0Last but not least, New York, which was simply impressing, and it fascinated me. \u00a0I saw 42 street, and I felt like a movie star. \u00a0It was really nice, and I went to see the Lion King show and the Statue of Liberty which was a surprise from my mom back in Bolivia.\u201d<\/p>\n With all that Aliaga has already seen, it is a surprise that she still wants to visit more in the U.S. \u00a0Her thirst for knowledge is still there, and she wants to visit California and Florida. \u00a0She wants to visit California because, \u201cthe stars live there! \u00a0Besides I saw the pictures and it is beautiful. \u00a0I want to go to Florida because of Disney and the beach and because it is warm in Florida. \u00a0It is like a dream I have.\u201d<\/p>\n A lot has been learned here in America. \u00a0Neva says that the best part about being a foreign exchange student is, \u201cbeing able to express your thoughts with people that have a different criteria about certain cultures. \u00a0Another thing is being able to go shopping with girls that are from Japan, Chile, Australia, or Italy or learning how to say \u2018You are my friend\u2019 in French or \u2018Hello\u2019 in Italian. \u00a0And learning that by getting lost one finds the place that they are trying to get to.\u201d<\/p>\n The school year is coming to a close and Aliaga is bidding a sad farewell to her friends. \u00a0Aliaga says that the best part about being here has been her friends. \u00a0After all they are the one thing that she will miss the most. \u00a0She says that her friends have, \u201coffered their friendship, trust, and joyous moments. \u00a0I will never forget them or my family. \u00a0Well my [host]parents[Mr. and Mrs. Gadziola] have helped me a lot. \u00a0They have helped me establish myself and socialize with people and to help me with the language (English). \u00a0My siblings are super sweet and they have also helped me a lot. \u00a0We have spent some very nice moments.\u201d \u00a0Aliaga says that she will, \u201cof course miss the malls.\u201d<\/p>\n Not all of Aliaga\u2019s trip has been fun and games. \u00a0She has also learned valuable life lessons that she will take home to Bolivia with her. \u00a0The first life lesson that she learned while on this trip has been, \u201cto value what you have and that whatever happens in this cruel world the first thing people need to do is get up and keep going.\u201d \u00a0Aliaga learned that it is important to value what you have because when she was in Bolivia she would, \u201cgo out all day or I would not want to have lunch with my parents because in my country the whole family sits down to have breakfast and lunch. \u00a0Then we have tea at 4 PM at the dinner table, and we all have dinner together. \u00a0In the U.S. it is very strange to do that. \u00a0I really miss being able to have breakfast or lunch with my whole family, especially on special occasions. \u00a0You do not know how much I would like to do those things maybe even just one time one of these days.\u201d \u00a0Aliaga did not just learn that lesson but, \u201cfrom this experience there have been little moments in which she has realized and learned many lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Aliaga came to the U.S, she had a life in Bolivia. \u00a0She has a life that she will go back to and move forth when she returns to Bolivia. \u00a0Aliaga has a \u201cmillion plans like finish school, then go to college. \u00a0I want to move to a different place in my country in which we [my family and I] will be closer to all my family, help my sister with her job, and begin to save money for the future for anything that I might need. \u00a0I plan to focus and try my hardest in studying.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Patricia Ortiz With the school year coming to a close everyone is waiting to go on vacation to some place far away. \u00a0Neva Aliaga Parrado, the foreign exchange student from Bolivia, is packing her bags to return back … Continue reading